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Loft Conversion Approval Rates in Harrow

Loft conversions change your roofline — and that makes them one of the more closely scrutinised application types. Councils scrutinise visibility, overlooking and street character more closely than for ground-level work. Here's what the data shows in Harrow.

119 real decisions·January 2020 to August 2026·Updated August 2026
70.6%
Approval Rate
119
Decisions
84
Approved
35
Refused
70.6% approved. But 35 refused since 2020. Each refusal cost the homeowner time and money on drawings and application fees. Understanding your local data before you apply is the difference between confidence and a costly gamble.

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Why loft conversion approval rates matter

Loft conversions face more scrutiny than rear or side extensions because they change the property's profile from the street. Dormers, mansards and hip-to-gable alterations are particularly sensitive.

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

Two houses on the same street can get different outcomes.
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How loft conversions compare to other project types

Not all applications are treated equally. Here's how loft conversions stack up against other common projects in Harrow.

TypeDecisionsRate
Hip-to-Gable Conversion66
86.4%
Conservatory588
80.8%
Outbuilding1,794
78.8%
New Build63
77.8%
Front Extension1,922
77.3%
Extension (General)923
76.7%
Garage / Parking3,725
76.4%
Wraparound Extension290
75.9%
Rear Extension10,671
75.4%
Dormer4,314
74.6%
Side Extension4,286
73.7%
Loft Conversion119
70.6%
Basement268
69.8%
Flat Conversion278
63.3%
Change of Use (Residential)761
62.5%
HMO304
55.6%
Annex78
43.6%
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What the data tells us

1
70.6% of loft conversion applications in Harrow get approved. That means 35 homeowners since 2020 have been refused. Not terrible odds, but not a foregone conclusion.
3
Council averages are starting points, not guarantees. The decisions that matter most are the comparable ones near your specific property — because planning officers look at precedent, character and the immediate context of your street.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

35 loft conversion applications in Harrow have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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More Harrow planning data

Nearby councils loft conversion data

Methodology: Based on 119 planning decisions classified as loft conversions in Harrow, January 2020 to August 2026. Classification uses keyword matching against proposal descriptions (matching generate_site_data.py rules). A single application may appear in multiple categories. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid applications excluded. Data from Harrow Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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